Run In
by A Light in Black
Summary: Everyone knows what happens when two groups of people run into each other; everyone goes flying. And when both groups are running from madmen? Well, you can expect a mix-up.
1. Crash

XXXXXXX

We were running, of course we had been running. When was there a time since that wild goose chase of a contest started that we weren't running from something? First our family members, and now the Vespers. Even with the contest over we were still running.

Jonah had talked us into coming back to England for the opening of his new movie. It would have taken a lot of persuading in the first place, as I did not want to do anything that brought me anywhere close to the Kabras, especially Ian, but he insisted that we come and we really didn't have a reason to turn him down. Dan would have made fun of the fact that I didn't want to be in the same room, no country, with Ian. He would have said "What don't want to talk to your _boyfriend" _and I would have smacked …

Oh, I wish I knew where he was…

Never mind, so we had been running and we ran into this group of people. They had, literary, appeared out of thin air. Well, everyone knows what happens when people run into each other, everyone goes flying.

So, having been disorientated, Jonah's fans still cheering, I'd like to say screaming, at the top of their lungs, thrown on the sidewalk and being chased by madmen, I grabbed what I thought to be Dan's wrist. Then I called a cab and pushed him into it…

"Who are you?" A flash of red hair caught my eye, but just turned to check and see if anyone was following us.

"What do you mean, Dan? I think we lost them."

"Dan, who's Dan? Who are you?" I notice that the speaker has an English accent, not at all like Dan, so I turn around very slowly, expecting some sort of trap. _How could it be a trap, Dan was with me the whole time._

"Who are you?" I take in his appearance. He was wearing a suit, as if he had been at a fancy party, actually it was more a set of robes. He has flaming red hair and a freckly face. Was rather gangly, had big hands and feet and looked as if he had just barley gotten out of a riot. He looked bewildered as if he didn't what was going on.

Thinking back on it, I hadn't had a clue what was going on either.

"I'm Ron. Who are you?" Still rather confused I answer simply.

"I-I'm Amy. Where's my b-brother?"

"Where's my friends? Where's Harry and Hermione? What'd you do with them?"

"I-I don't know w-who you are talking a-about!" That stupid stutter, I thought I had grown out of that.

"Hey, kids. Where do you want me to take you?" The driver asks, interrupting our conversation.

"Back to where you picked us up." I say at once. "I need to find my brother. And I'm not a child!"

"Your still going to have to pay." He says. After that the boy, Ron, sulked in the seat next to me.

-XXX -

It was going to be a horrible day just having to go to the premiere of Jonah's new movie, but then being chased and thrown into some random people, getting separated from my sister.

I was currently sulking outside some coffee shop and two guys just pushed roughly pushed me aside.

"Come on!" she hadn't needed to tell me twice. The Vespers were mad, and intent on getting a secret form the Cahills and were willing to do anything to get it. So it was then that we barreled into a strange group that had appeared out of midair.

Someone grabbed my wrist saying "Come on!" and I followed the voice. I sensed that someone was following so I sped up, but unable to lose them. Then the person jerked my hand pulling me into the shop we were now in. The person who was following them also came into the shop.

"What are we doing here? This could be a dead-end. We should get back to Nellie." I went to go out the door, but Amy didn't follow. "Amy, come on."

"Who are you, where is Ron?" she had an English accent, when did Amy get an English accent? I continued to look out the window.

"Are you trying to imitate Ian?"

"Who's Ian?" I turn around this time because it was a male's voice.

"Who are you people?" In front of me stood two people, one girl with bushy brown hair and a boy with bright green eyes and messy black hair that looked as if some one had tried to comb it. The girl was wearing a dress and the boy a set or robes, weird country. "Where's Amy?"

"Where's Ron?" the guy asks again.

"I don't know who Ron is, but where is my sister? Who are you?"

"Oh, no! Harry we left Ron out there, what if Death Eaters followed us?"

"I don't think anybody followed us." He peered out the window. "We should go out and look for him, I don't want to imagine what could happen if Voldemort found him."

"You're not going anywhere until we find my sister. And what's all this about Death Eaters and Voldemort? Are you like fugitives?"

"Ah… no. If you're with us, then Ron's probably with your sister, Amy."

"Fine, but what if the Vespers are out there. I don't know what will happen if they get Amy. They already have our cousins."

"Well, sorry about that, but we have our hands filled too. Come on, Hermione, we need to find Ron."

"No way. You're not going anywhere without me." I grabbed his arm, but my hand slipped on the slippery fabric of the cloak. "Why are you wearing that anyway?"

"Harry, wait, we have to change. We'll attract too much attention if we go out like this."

"Well we don't have a change clothes, do we, Hermione?"

"Actually, we do." she holds out a little beaded purse, "Um… Dan, why don't you wait outside and look for your sister?"

"What are you going to do magic?" I shook my hands making that 'Oh, that's so scary' sound. They looked at each other, like they were worried. "Fine, I'll go wait outside, but if the Vespers come I'm coming right back in." I go over to the door. "Oh, and don't leave out the back." I open the door and two big, burly guys walk in, "Sure, I so opened the door for you." I mumble under my breath as I walk out.

-XXX-

"Here." I reach shoulder deep into the little pink purse, pulling out a set of clothes ignoring his confused look. "I'll explain later. Hurry up, so I can change." After he disappears behind into the bathroom I go over to the window to watch that boy Dan. He reminded me so much of Harry, young but seems like an old man. I wonder what happened to make him that way.

The little café was almost empty, other than two men and a small family, most everyone else was down the road at what I think was a parade. The parents had a small son, which was probably why they were in here and not out in that mob of people, and I couldn't help wondering _Is that how Harry's life would have been? _

"Hermione?" I jump, I hadn't notice Harry come over. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'll change and then we need to find Ron." The family paid and got up to leave, the men had their heads close together, talking quietly and I couldn't hear what they were saying until I walked by on my way to the bathroom,

"Yeah, he wants him alive, so that would be a better bet."

"Quite, you fool." The one man whacked the other behind the ear, _Have I seen them before? _I rush to change.

The men were gone though went I came out. "Harry!"

"What, Hermione?" He looked worried.

"I think those men were Death Eaters and they're going after Ron now."

"What makes you think that? Are you sure?"

"Well when I walked by one of them said 'Yeah, he wants him alive, so that would be a better bet.' and then the other guy said 'Quiet, you fool.'. Oh, Harry I think they were there the night Dumbledore died, but I'm not sure. We have to find Ron though!"

-XXX-

"Gah, I'm such an idiot." I kick a booth, not noticing the pain that shot up my foot. "We don't even know which way they went! And it's a mob out there, you can barley hear anything."

"I know, how could we possibly- wait. Dan! That kid, he's standing right outside! He can tell us where they went!"

"He probably wasn't paying attention."

"It's the only thing we've got. Come on." She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the shop. Dan was leaning against the wall staring out into the crowd. "Dan."

"What? Are you coming to tell me to get lost?"

"No, we need to know if you saw two men leave and which direction they went in."

"Course I know where they went, they practically ran me over when they came out. They went that way." he points to where all the noise was coming from.

"Are you sure?"

"Photographic memory comes in handy when your in trouble. Are you coming or not?" He starts to walk away.

"Come on, Harry."

"I can't believe this." I mutter under my breath, then run a bit to catch up. I search for Ron's hair, it should be easy to spot.

-XXX-

"Do you have any money?" I ask that girl, Amy, who had dragged me into that cab thinking I was her brother.

"Why?" she looks at me like I was going to rob her.

"I was thinking, you say there are people after you and there might be people after me, that it would… benefit us both if we were less… obvious."

"Meaning?" she kept looking around, I didn't think she was actually listening.

"Oi! Are you listening?"

"Yeah, s-sure." Her stutter came back, I began to figure out she was only stuttering when she focused on who she was talking to.

I gave a sigh, "It means that I should change out of these dress robes. So do you have money?"

"Sure, just get a cheap pair of jeans and t-shirt. And get a hat." she starts looking around again, standing on her toes to look over the crowd.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you hair isn't exactly inconspicuous."

"There's nothing wrong with my hair." I felt my face go hot.

"T-t-there's n-nothing wrong with your hair, but it is bright orange." she sank back on her heels, looking defeated.

"I just got a little defensive. It's ok." I suddenly want to make her feel better, she looked so worn out and sad. "And we'll find your brother."

"You think so?"

"Positive, come on lets go in here." I directed her towards the nearest clothing store.

They didn't notice the two siblings running in one direction and two big men walking in the other, all looking for someone. They also didn't see Dan, Hermione and Harry run right outside that store who were following the men. Hermione and Harry looking for a blaze of red hair, Dan looking for his sister.


	2. Chase

This is not a time to freak out_. Last time you lost Dan panicking did nothing to help! And you were reunited._

But that time I had an idea where he would go, who he was with. This time all I've got is a guy with bright red hair telling me he'll be fine!

_This is not a time to freak out. Do not freak out. Panicking will not help Dan._

"Maybe we should split up?" Ron suggests.

"No!" I say quickly.

"Ok, ok! I just thought it would be easier to find them if we went in separate directions. Why are all these people here anyways?"

"Jonah's premiering a movie." I say quickly, rushing through the crowd with practice only someone who had be in a chase for some time could have. Ron could keep up fairly well.

"Who's-" I cut him off, just figuring something out.

"Jonah! I have a backstage pass and he has security on every block here! We'll find them in no time! And Dan might think of that too! Jonah help, well sort of if you can call that helping, Dan when we got separated in China! And now that the hunts over he's an ally through and through."

"Whoa slow down, you sound like Hermione! First who's Jonah?"

"You don't know" He shakes his head. "He's going to have a heart attack. Jonah Wizard? He's a famous music idol. I personally can't listen to it. He's my cousin. I just hope he didn't invite any _other cousins._" Specifically I was thinking Ian and Natalie Kabra.

"Why not, couldn't they help?"

"I don't think they would, in the hunt they weren't very… understanding."

"Ok, what's this 'hunt', you've mentioned it twice already."

"Oh, it's just…" I had forgot who I was talking to. Not a Cahill, can't know about the clues. "J-just some c-clue hunt my f-family went on. L-like letter b-boxing."

"Sure, so why weren't your cousins 'understanding'?"

"Oh, the hunt was a l-little…" A little what? "A little violent."

We ran in silence for a while then:

"We don't have to go through _that_, do we?" He pointed his head towards the chaotic mass of girls pressed against the barrier. They were insane, completely and totally mad.

I just shake my head and suppressed a snort, that was something Dan would have said and my reply also sounded like something he would say, "You should have seen his fans in China. I was worried people weren't going to make it out. Maybe you should live a little, once your in the hunt things like this are like child's play." _Why did I add that last part? _Because I couldn't help it. I wanted to show this complete stranger that I'm not a weakling, like I knew he thought I was.

I wanted to tell him how I went to Mount Everest, saving the guy who left me in a cave to die, how I traveled to so many continents in so many weeks, how I figured out clues like the one in a locked room in the Great wall of China that involved feng shui, how I escaped a burning house with a box of my late grandmother's jewelry and her cat. Most of that with my brother of course, but I still lived through that, I solved or helped solve those puzzles, from the very first one, to being in a pit with poisonous spiders and snake to working with the people who tried to kill us; no 'just get us out of the running'. And what has this kid done? Run into a problem for all I knew.

He gave me a look, "Well, you should swap stories with Harry sometime."

"If you want we could go around." I say, not wanting to do anything that keeps me away from my brother a minute longer. I would fall apart without him, like a dress would without proper stitching. No matter how annoying he was; he held me together. I could only hope he needed me as much as I needed him.

"No, I can make it." With that we dove into the craze of girls, the quickest path to Jonah. I grabbed his hand so that we wouldn't be separated, I don't think I could stand being completely alone. Last time Dan ran away I had Nellie, she should get here soon, but by then I'd probably be mad with worry.

-XXX-

These people were even more frustrating than Amy in the world's largest library. Never did I think anyone could have the power to be more annoying.

"I'm just saying I thought they went that way." the boy, Harry, says questioning my choice in direction for the tenth time.

"I know I saw them go this way." and seeing him open his mouth I quickly added: "Even if they went your way we should go this way."

You could almost see him resign into following me, I don't know what's his deal but he either didn't trust me or want to follow me.

"Why?" the girl, Hermione, asks.

"If you've been in enough chases you would know. Some of it's instinct, some of it's my memory, some of it's experience and most of it really is luck. There being a turn right where you need it, or an obstacle you can get by and you know your opponents can't."

"We've been in enough chases." Harry said darkly.

"You have, Harry."

"Yeah, but if they went one way, why go another?"

"Because of the flow of current, everyone's following Jonah, they'll think Ron and Amy will be in the crowd, it's the easiest place to get caught in, I know where Jonah's going to be, and if they follow their path and we follow ours, we'll all end up in the same place around the same time and they will never know we were following them."

"What if they run into Ron and Amy on everyone's way there?" she asks.

"Good question, you said that Ron will probably follow Amy if she looks like she knows where she's going?"

"As long as she explains it, I think he would follow."

"Yeah, so I know my sister and she'll go to Jonah-"

"Who's this 'Jonah'?"

"Jonah Wizard? You don't know him?" They shake their heads. "He's going to blow a gasket. He's the guy on all the shirts and posters around us."

"He's the reason all these people are here?"

"Yup, you should've seen the crowd in China. One girl broke my head open."

"Get to the explaining part." Harry says, I knew he wanted to hurry. Seeing as his friend was in danger of being used against him and I had enough bribery and backstabbing to last me a few life times.

"So, when I ran away in China Jonah found me in his candy factory," knowing that would bring question, "Not going to explain that. Well he, uh, I guess you could say helped me. So since we both know he's here, she would think I would go to him first or that if she went to him he would help her find me. But the latter would only be because the hunt's over."

"I think that's a good idea-"

"Wait," Harry interrupted, "We can't go to someone with a hundred cameras on him" Then he leaned over to Hermione and whispers something I couldn't hear.

-XXX-

"There's no way there are no wizards in this crowd. We can't go anywhere televised." I whisper to Hermione, still half running to keep up with Dan, who kept disappearing from view and then reappearing as if he keeps forgetting that we're following him.

It frustrated me that I couldn't find Ron, and that I led Death Eaters to go after him. How did they even find us?

Hermione nodded, understanding. We were all wanted by the Ministry. I was Undesirable No.1, she was a witch with muggle parents so they wanted to question her and Ron was from the biggest blood traitor family there is and is supposed to be home sick. There was no way we could appear on live T.V.

"But we have to follow him. If Ron follows his sister then he could be our only chance to find him."

"I know; the kid's just so frustrating. He makes a joke every minute."

"He reminds me of you, Harry." she says so quietly I almost didn't catch it.

"What?"

"Have you noticed how he acts when he thinks I'm not watching? He seems to age before my eyes, just like you. He's dealt with stuff that probably rival yours."

I started to protest, that he was just a little kid, but she stopped me. "What did you do when you started Hogwarts? You fought evil forces and Ron and I stood by you in any way we could, yes we made a lot of mistakes and sometimes weren't by you but we'd always come back, and we saw what it did to you, how you deflated when you thought we wouldn't notice. And this kid is acting the same way, maybe after all this is over you guys could talk it could be like a counseling."

Before I could reply, she run up to talk to Dan. I stayed behind, thinking over what she said. My first thought was: _I don't need counseling! _

But that was selfish, and I thought about those nightmares, I would give my left hand to get rid of those. I was being harsh towards Dan, I just wanted Ron to be safe by my side. If Death Eaters got him, I shudder at the thought, I would never forgive myself. That would be my fault too. Trouble just seemed to follow me.

-XXX-

I can't believe I was following this girl. Her personality seemed to change with ever word she says. She would be stuttering and tripping over every other word, to confident on what to do, to seeming as if she's about to break, to being suspicious of half the people around her and constantly looking over her shoulder to who know what else.

Was this how she was around her brother?

Finally we make it to the entrance to the movie premier. I had thought the acromantula colony had been bad, at least then I could tell what was attacking me and why. Here I could barley tell who was who, all you could tell was the general forward momentum. I was glad Amy had taken my hand, or else I'd be lost in a sea of crazed Jonah Wizard fans.

She held out her pass and said that I was with her and we were hurriedly shoved through the door. As we were walking through the halls I had one main thought _I can't be seen on live television!_

"_Ok, Jonah should be here." Amy says as we come up to a door._

"_Are there going to be cameras or something?" I ask, nervous. I pull my hat down to completely cover my hair._

"_I think he normally doesn't allow camera crews until after the show." _

"_Good."_

"_What, camera shy?" she pulls open the door, revealing a crowded room. Two sibling sat in one corner, they wore what looked like tailored silk suits. A small group of large kids sat in the middle of the room, they all wore jumpsuits. A tall kid in baggy pants and so much jewelry I thought his neck might break from the weight. He came sauntering over, saying:_

"_What's sup, cuz?"_

"_Hello, Jonah. Have you seen Dan?"_

"_No, isn't he with you? Who's the dude?"_

"_He's.. a, um, friend of Dan's."_

"_What?" she stomped on my foot, "yeah, yeah. I'm a friend of Dan's."_

"_That's hip, yo."_

"_Ow." I said under my breath to Amy._

"_Sorry?" she says sheepishly._

"_Yo, cuz, Dan better get here pronto! I'm gonna introduce my new movie soon."_

"_Hey, Jonah, you still haven't told us what it's about." One of the large kids in the middle calls._

"_It's a secret, yo. Thought you could all do with a good surprise after the hunt." he looked over at, then Amy. She shook her head and it seemed like they communicated just like that._

_-XXX-_

_Muggle security was easy to get by. A few jinxes and you could have them begging you to come in. You would think finding a red head would be as easy. The Dark Lord would be extremely displeased if we came back empty handed. _

"_You had better hope we find the kid, you just kept talking when that Mudblood walked by and let her know. They didn't even know we were there, yet."_

"_The Dark Lord will be pleased by us bringing him his prizes best friend."_

"_Where do you think he went anyway?" My partner asks in anger._

"_Probably followed that little brats sister." _

"_Maybe we should go back and follow those kids?"_

"_And then try and take one of them with all of them there? We don't want our bargaining tool to be damaged."_

"_We could take anyone of those kids and dangle 'em in front of him and he'll come running."_

"_We need the one that'll guaranty that." With that we hurried off to keep searching._

_They didn't know that the kids they were looking for were just entering the building a few doors down and that if they had gone back they would have had a better chance. By continuing they were following Dan's plan. Dan was also following his plan, but was stalled in front of the door. Where he was arguing with Harry and Hermione._


End file.
